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I J. HAIR.

POTATG PLANTER. l No. 311,312. Patented Jan. Z7, 1885.,

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POTATO PLANTEP.. No. 311,312. Patented Jan. '27, 1885.

'Unitarian daarna Partnr Ottica..

JOHN HAIR, OF ORITTENDEN, NEV YORK.

POTATOMPLNTER.v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,312, dated January 27, 1885.

Application filed January 25, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HAIR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Crittenden, in the county of Erie and State of N ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Planters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable and covered; and to that end it consists of certain novel and improved combinations of devices, which will be hereinafter particularly set forth and definitely claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of the planter. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with one of the wheels removed. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of Fig. 2, and Figs. a, 5, and 6 are detached detail views.

Referring to the drawings, c is the frame which`carries the operative parts, and it is mounted on the axle a', having` at each end the wheels c2 a2,- and a3 is the tongue to which the horses may be attached. This tongue is secured at the inner end to the axle c.

Across the center of the frame c is the narrow box or chamber b, in the top of which is located the hopper c, having the opening c into such chamber.

Across the forward portion of the hopper c, and about midway between the opening o and the top of the hopper, is located the shelf c2,- and c3 is a vertical partition extending along the edge of the shelf c, from one side of the hopper' to about the center line of such shelf.

c4 (see Fig. 3) is a downward extension of the rear wall of the hopper c.

Vithin the chamberb, and moving in grooves in the side walls thereof, is the horizontal slide d, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

d is a central opening in such slide somewhat longer than the opening c in the hopper,

and in such opening cl is removably secured the metallic blade di.

d3 is a shelf depending from the under side of the slide d and extending forward to or nearly to the edge of the metallic blade d2. The extension c4 of the hopper c reaches, as will be seen in Fig. 3, nearly to the upper face of the shelf di.

d is a spiral or other spring secured at one end to the slide d and at the other end to the wall1 of the chamber I).

At the rear end of the slide d is secured one end of the bent rod e, which passes forward along the side of the box b, and has its other end loosely pivoted to one arm of the bell-crank lever c, the other arm of which is loosely pivoted in turn to the rod e`. The bell-crank lever e is pivoted to the under side of the bar f, whose forward end is pivoted to the front cross-piece of the frame c, and whose rear end is attached to the adj Listing-screw f passing through the side piece of the frame c. The rod cZ is held loosely in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 by the notch g in the lever g', pivoted in the 7 frame a at g2. The outer end ofthe rod c2 has the beveled end Upon the inner face of the adjacent wheel a2 is secured the ring h, concentric with the axle a. This ring h is provided at regular intervals with the circular screw-threaded apertures h, adapted for' the reception of the spurs It', having the beveled sides 7c', and screw-threaded shanks k2, by means of which they are firmly held in place in the holes h', as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

Below the opening c of the hopper and attached to the axle-bar is the chute or spout Z.

The mechanism just described in detail is designed to automatically deliverthe potatoes from the hopper to the furrow in the'grouud in a manner whichwill be more fully herein after described.

m is the furrower located upon the lower end of the curved arm m', the upper end of which is pivoted from the tongue c at m2. The furrower m is located just in advance of the lower end of the chute Z. One of the coverers for filling up the furrow after the potatoes have been dropped is shown at n, and consists of a blade secured to the lower end of the curved rod n', the upper and forward end of IOO which is pivotedpsimilarly to the furrowerrod m. rlhere are two ot' these coverers a, located one on each side of the line of the furrow, andin the rear of the chute Z. A lever, o, pivoted in the side of the tongue a, and having an arm, 0, extending under the rods m a', serves to lift the furrower and coverers up out of the way when necessary, such lever being returned to its normal position whene released by the ball p and chain p', passing over the pulley p2 on the frame a.

The apparatus for feeding the potatoes to the hopper is arranged as follows:

r is a revolving` drum having the shape of the frustum of a cone, and is mounted in the brackets r and r2, secured upon the frame a,

' ward end is hung in the bracket-rod s', and

the enlarged slot s,l2 at its center encircles the inner trunnion, 1f, of the drum r. The lower portion of the plate s is. cut away to leave an opening in the lower part of the drum through which the potatoes may pass into the hopper. The size of this opening is adjusted as follows:

In one of the holes, s3 s3, in the rear end of plate s is loosely and removably secured the upper end of the rod '84, which passes down and across under the chamber b, and is loosely pivoted to the lower arm of the bent lever 85, which in turn is pivoted to a bracket upon theaxlea. A segmental ratchet, t, is secured to the axle close to the upper arm of the lever VS5, and a pawl, t, upon such arm engages with the ratchet t to secure the lever in any position. It is apparent that by moving the upper arm of the lever S5 the plate s will be correspondingly moved and the opening in the drum o" made larger or smaller, as desired. This opening may be further modified by the auxiliary plate u, provided with the slot u', adapted for the reception of the set-screw u?.

In the operation of the planter j ust described the seed-potatoes are placed in the drum r by means of the door r, the opening in such drum having been previously adjusted by means of lever 85 and connecting mechanism operating upon the slide s. A boy is placed upon the seat w, secured to the box b in the rear of the hopper c, to push the potatoes from the shelf cz into the lower part of the hopper. When the planter is started by the driver, who occupies the seat x, the drum r is caused to revolve, and the potatoes are gradually shaken out through the opening therein and fall upon the shelf c2 in the hopper c and in front of the partition c3. Vhile the potatoes are being Ydeliveredin this manner to the hopper the right hand wheel of the planter in revolving causes one of the beveled spurs 7c to strike the beveled end of the rod e2, which pushes such rod inwardly, thereby moving the bell-crank lever e', which i'n turn pushes back the rod e, and with it the slide d in the chamber b. As this slide moves back the metallic blade d2 closes the opening c in the hopper c and prevents the further fall of the potatoes, and at the same time those which have fallen upon the lower shelf, d3, are pushed oftl ltherefrom by the extension c4 as the shelf d3 recedes with the slide d. The falling potatoes then enter the chute Z, from which they fall into the furrow made by the furrower m, and are covered up by the coverers a, which throw back the displaced earth into the furrow. After the rod c has passed the spur k, the slide d, by means of the spring d@ can be thrown back into its normal position, thus reopening the hopper until the rod e2 meets the next spur lo, when the same operation is repeated. It will be noticed that the spur k, being short,` keeps the hopper closed only a very short space of time, its action being rapid and effective. By varying the number of the spurs 7a the number-of hills to each revolution of the wheel can be correspondingly regulated, and, as the beveled end e3 of the rod e'l wears away by constant friction with the spurs, such rod can be advanced-the necessary distance to insure proper contact by adjusting the screwbolt fwhich moves the bar f, to which the rod e2 and lever e are attached.

To throw the rod e'l out of operative engagement with the 'spurs la, it is` only necessary for the driver to lift the lever g', thus disengaging the notch g from rod e2, which can then be easily turned aside. The furrowers and coverers can also be simultaneously lifted .and held in such position by the driver by means of the lever o when it is desired to suspend their operation while the planter is in motion.

I claiml. In a potato-planter, as a means of feeding the potatoes to the hopper, the pivoted drumk r, provided with the pivoted adjustable slide s and auxiliary adjustable slide u, the drum being revolved from the axle of the carriage, substantially as shown and described.

p 2. In a potato planter, the combination, with the revolving drum r and its pivoted adjustable slide s,ot` the rod s4, the bent lever 85, and pawl and ratchet t t, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a potato -planter, the combination,Y

with thebell-crank lever c and the sliding rod e?, of the pivoted bar f and adjustingscrew f, by means of which the sliding rod e2 can be adjusted with relation to the spurs k 7c', substantially as shown and described.

4L. In a potato planter, the combination,

with the slide d, the spring d4, secured at one IOO IIO

end to the slide and at the other end to the to this specioationin the presence of two subbox b, the rod e, the bell-crank lever e', the serbing Witnesses. f

sliding rod e2 with beveled end e3 and the beveled spursc 7c upon the Wheel, oyf the'pv- JOHN HAIR' 5 oted bar f, and adjusting-screw f', substan- Witnesses:

tally as shown and described. OTTO HODDIGK,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name W. T. MILLER. 

